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The difference between a mammalian embryo and an embryo of a lower chordate animal is evident starting from blastula stage. Due to that fact, the developing mammalian embryo at this stage is called a blastocyst, not a blastula, which is more generic term. There are also several other differences from embryogenesis in lower chordates.
In mammals, the term refers chiefly to the early stages of prenatal development, whereas the terms fetus and fetal development describe later stages. [2] [4] The main stages of animal embryonic development are as follows: The zygote undergoes a series of cell divisions (called cleavage) to form a structure called a morula.
The embryo and subsequent early fetus appear to be sexually indifferent, looking neither like a male or a female. Over the next several weeks, hormones are produced that cause undifferentiated tissue to transform into either male or female reproductive organs. This process is called sexual differentiation.
A fetus or foetus (/ ˈ f iː t ə s /; pl.: fetuses, foetuses, rarely feti or foeti) is the unborn mammalian offspring that develops from an embryo. [1] Following the embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Prenatal development is a continuum, with no clear
At the beginning of the ninth week, the embryo is termed a fetus (spelled "foetus" in British English). In comparison to the embryo, the fetus has more recognizable external features and a more complete set of developing organs. Human embryology is the study of this development during the first eight weeks after fertilization.
Sexual differentiation is the process of development of the sex differences between males and females from an undifferentiated zygote. [1] [2] Sex determination is often distinct from sex differentiation; sex determination is the designation for the development stage towards either male or female, while sex differentiation is the pathway towards the development of the phenotype.
Even so, the absence of the SRY gene or the silencing of the SOX9 gene are not enough to trigger sexual differentiation of a fetus in the female direction. A recent finding suggests that ovary development and maintenance is an active process, [ 22 ] regulated by the expression of a "pro-female" gene, FOXL2 .
The mammalian blastocyst hatches before implantating into the endometrial lining of the womb. Once implanted the embryo will continue its development through the next stages of gastrulation, neurulation, and organogenesis. Gastrulation is the formation of the three germ layers that will form all of the different parts of the body.